Raised panel members



March 1967 T. e. MILLER, JR

RAISED PANEL MEMBERS Filed April 30, 1964 w 1 2 1k Y v.6.) f \z IL J ,4 a O l 5 M Z 1a. 6 (Dmosa Am) 4G IN VENTOIQ Q T. A Q C.- L H M G E E O D O E.- U.- T

United States Patent f 3,308,592 RAISED PANEL MEMBERS Theodore G. Miller, Jr., Washington, D.C., assignor'to Design & Manufacturing Company, Inc., a corporation of the District of Columbia Filed Apr. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 363,811 3 Claims. (Cl. 52-455) The present invention relates to door and panel constructions, and more particularly to raised panel doors that utilize stiles or rails of one piece integral formation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of and means for manufacturing raised panel doors and raised panel wall sections that is an improve ment over prior methods of making such members, and wherein the raised panel doors of the present invention can be used for any desired purpose such as in kitchen cabinets, or other types of cabinets, enclosures, as well as for doors used in conjunction with rooms, or the like.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a raised panel door construction, which not only has improved aesthetic value or appearance as compared with existing or old style raised panel doors, but in addition provides an improved product at a lower cost, and wherein with the present invention separation of the parts will be prevented, and also the present invention will permit more advantageous use of various materials by furniture manufacturers and the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of and means for manufacturing raised panel doors wherein the doors are economical to manufacture and ruggedly constructed, and which is adapted to minimize errors productive of wasted labor and material in the cutting or manufacture of structural members of the character described.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification and claims, together with the accompanying drawing, wherein like parts are referred to and indicated by like reference characters, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a raised door panel in use on a cabinet or the like, and with the raised door panel constructed according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally on the lines 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the stile or rail, and with portions thereof broken away, and being in perspective.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view which shows a portion of a filler piece, and with parts broken away.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view generally similar to FIGURE 2 but illustrating a slight modification wherein a plurality of filler pieces are shown being used for constructing a wider door.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view illustrating a raised panel door constructed according to existing methods and showing the prior art.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 20 indicates a cabinet or the like which has a raised panel door 21 constructed according to the present invention and the numeral 22 may indicate an adjacent wall or structural member. The door 21 includes an outer stile or rail 23 which is adapted to be provided on its outer edge with a lip 24 for a purpose to be later described. There is provided on the inner edge of the stile 23 a male projection or tongue 25, and the stile 23 is of one piece unitary integral construction. As shown in FIGURE 2, a filler piece 26 is provided, and the filler piece 26 has grooves or female recesses 27 for receiving therein the tongues 25 of the adjacent stiles 23.

3 ,368,592 Patented Mar. 14, 1967 The stile or rail 23 has a recessed portion 28 which is shaped to define in the stile a shoulder 29, a gracefully curved section 30, and an inclined riser surface 31 which merges into a flat surface 32. The side of the stile opposite the side with the recessed portion 28 may be generally flat as at 34. The flat surface 32 of the stile is generally coplanar with a fiat surface 33 on the stile as well as with a flat surface 35 of the filler piece 26. In FIG- URE 2, there is indicated in broken lines portions of a frame or supporting structure as indicated by the numerals 36 and this structure may be part of a cabinet such as the cabinet 20 or the like. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to any particular cabinet structure but is solely directed to the raised panel door construction.

Attention is directed to FIGURE 5 of the drawings wherein there is illustrated a type of modified door which may be slightly wider than the door of FIGURE 2, and the door of FIGURE 5 is indicated generally by the numeral 21' and has generally the same construction and uses as the previously described door 21, except that additional filler pieces 26 are shown being used in order to permit construction of a wider or larger door. Thus the door 21 is shown with only one filler piece 26, but the wider door or larger door 21 can readily be made by inserting or using additional filler pieces 26.

Referring to FIGURE 6 of the drawings, there is shown the prior art type of raised panel doors, as indicated by the numeral 37 and which comprises a rail or stile 38, inserts 39 and 43. The stile 38 has a groove or recess 40 for receiving therein an end portion 41 of the insert 43. The numeral 42 indicates a beaded surface on the stile 38.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that according to the present invention there has been provided an improved method and means for making raised panel doors. In use, as shown in the drawings, when constructing a door in accordance with the present invention, it is only neces sary to use the stiles 23 of the proper length and size in conjunction with the desired number and size of filler pieces 26. As shown in FIGURE 2, the completed door 21 includes the spaced apart stiles 23 with a single filler piece 26 therebetween, and the female grooves 27 in the [filler piece 26 snugly receive therein the tongue 25 of the adjacent stiles 23. Since the stiles 23 are of one piece construction, there will be no possibility of separation of the parts as is the case with the existing door construction as shown in FIGURE 6. In other words when using the door 37 of FIGURE 6, the parts 38 and 43 tend to separate at the points 40 and 41, but because the stile 23 is not composed of separate pieces, there can be no such separation with the present invention.

The filler pieces 26 shown in FIGURE 5 'may have a female groove 27 along one edge and a male projection along the opposite edge to permit the pieces to be properly assembled when using a plurality of the filler pieces, whereas in FIGURE 2, the single filler piece 26 is adapted to have female grooves 27 on its opposite edges for receiving therein the tongues 25.

Any suitable material can be used for making the various parts, and such parts can be made in different shapes or sizes as desired or required.

With the present invention, doors can be made using a minimum number of tools and equipment, and a door constructed according to the present invention does not merely give the illusion of being a raised panel door but is in fact a raised panel door. The most important aspect or feature of the present invention is the one piece stile or rail. Doors constructed according to the present invention can be used as kitchen cabinet doors, furniture doors, decorative wall panels including those used in court rooms, and beauty is insured because there are no exposed 3 joints, such as glue joints to detract from the appearance thereof.

The present invention can be used in making framing panels, and permits the inserts to be made of material other than wood. For example, the inserts or filler pieces can be made of formica, laminated material, or of a species of wood that is different from the stiles, and heretofore it has not been practical to do this. Plywood or the like can be used for making the panels and hence the present invention will open or permit increased use of plywood which was not previously practical. For example when using the prior methods of constructing raised panel doors, it was not practical to use plywood because the edges have a tendency to show and this is disadvantageous. The interfitting tongues and grooves are adapted or made so that they snugly and properly conform in configuration to each other so that there will be a proper and snug fit. The recessed portion 28 is contoured or shaped so that a highly pleasing appearance results, and in addition the shape of the recessed portion 28 insures that such parts will be easy to clean and there are no cracks or crevices to act as dirt and dust collectors. With a construction such as that shown in FIGURE 6, the parts 38 and 43 tend to separate or pull apart, but this cannot happen with the present invention because the stile 23 is of one piece construction. When making a door such as the door 21 shown in FIGURE 1, the stiles 23 are adapted to be used on both sides of the door as well as on the top and bottom thereof, and these stiles may be supplied or purchased in different lengths and readily cut to the desired size to make up a door of the desired configuration.

The present invention is therefore for a new method of manufacturing raised panel doors and raised panel wall sections, and is adaptable to or by the manufacturer of small kitchen cabinet doors and also the manufacture of all types of doors and panels. A door constructed in accordance with the present invention has the same general appearance as old types of such doors except that it is mitered at the four corners as at 44, FIGURE 1, instead of having a mortise and tenon arrangement at these points. Also, with the present invention it is not necessary to glue up panel stock which shows up glue lines or joints vertically through the panel, because ply-wood for the first time can be used for the panel instead of solid stock. a

With the stile 23, the rise and stile are of integral formation and the surface 32 is part of the panel and the panel is indicated generally by the numeral 45, Whereas with the old method as shown in FIGURE 6, the stile 38 is separate from the rise 46 and panel 47, and because of this, the problem of shrinkage has been eliminated with the present invention. The mitre 44 permits the same piece of stock to be used for both side stiles and top and bottom rails. The panel 45 can be made from an especially designed filler piece, or it can be made of plywood, or the like. The surface or portion 32 of the stile 23 is in fact a portion of the panel itself and therefore ties all three members, namely stile, rise, and panel into one part or integral piece, and heretofore this has not been possible. The female groove or recess 27 can be cut into plywood so that for the first time plywood can be used for the panel, and groove 27 receives projection 25. The door lip 24 is adapted to be a standard part previously cut into the stile member, but if a stile or door is desired without this lip, the lip is simply cut off, and this is a much less expensive operation than cutting the lip if needed. As indicated at 28, a graceful curve can be provided instead of the old kerf and bead indicated at 42 that was previously used. These doors with the kerf and bead are for strength at this point, and are hard to clean, and the curved or recessed portion 28 could not be used with the old style doors because the wood could not be maa chined to the fine curvature that is necessary, and in addition all strength would be lost. Also, the present invention eliminates the need of having to out or form a groove or dado 40 into the stile. Further, the tongue or projection 41 is not needed and hence there will be no separation between the stile and panel as is the case with the old method, because there is no joint at this point, and portions of the stile and panel are of unitary formation.

As shown in FIGURE 6, a panel for a wide door requires three or more pieces of solid stock, but with the present invention, only one piece of plywood is necessary. Also, in old styles of doors, a door lip 48 must be cut into stile when needed to thereby cause an extra milling step. In FIGURE 2, the numeral 31 indicates the rise portion of the stile. In FIGURE 6, the numeral 49 indicates where the joint occurs in the old type of door and this is not necessary with the present invention. As shown in FIGURE 3, the member 23 is actually a simple pre-designed moulding or raised panel moulding, with stile.

It is to be noted that raised panel doors and raised panel wall sections have been and probably will continue to be the type most desired by designers, manufacturers of kitchen cabinets and the like, but there has been a slump in the manufacturing and use of these doors, including use by the furniture industry, and it is believed that a major cause of this slump is because of the problems involved in making the old type doors, and the present in vention overcomes these problems, and permits a better product to be made at a lower cost. In the old style doors, the stile 38 or side moulding is machined with several beads and kerfs 42 at the inner edge of the stile, and this is done not only to make it attractive but also to insure that the edge of the stile will be strong and sturdy enough to permit a dado to be cut into the stile so that the portion 41 of the panel can enter into the stile for securing the panel into the stile, and this is the standard method of machining and constructing a raised panel door This old method is undesirable for various reasons such as the cost factor. Thus, the stile is a separate moulding, usually made of 1% inch stock, and since the panel is cut cross grain and at a bias, it must of necessity be made of inch stock, and must be either one solid piece or made up of several pieces of solid stock glued together previously, and then run through a planer to obtain the desired thickness, and then run on a shaper on all four surfaces at the edges to make a panel, and this is very costly because of the high cost of solid stock. Also, when the stile and panel are assembled there is of necessity a joint created where they meet, and it is well known that the difference between the size and thickness of the stile and panel cause a separation at this point due to the amount of shrinkage of each separate or individual member, and because they are not balanced in mass, they will draw away from each other. This problem is compounded because this usually occurs after the finishing or painting has been completed and the unit installed in its permanent location. After the finishing is completed and shrinkage occurs, a section of the panel that has been under the stile is pulled out to expose bare wood, and for this reason alone many manufacturers. have dropped raised panel doors from their lines. Also, the old method has not permitted use of the various plywood products available, whereas the present invention permits convenient use of plywood in making a raised panel to provide tremendous savings in dollars.

The raised door panel construction made according to the present invention is graceful, and it is to be noted that the beads and kerfs are not used and are no longer necessary, but in their place is a graceful curve which is easier to keep clean than the standard type. It is possible to use this curve because there is no joint between the stile and the panel because they are both made of the same piece of stock. The filler piece can be made in different widths, and certain combinations of these will fill out thepanel for any size door, and if desired, ,4 inch plywood of any species can be used as the panel filler piece, and

because with this method, the panel itself is not cut at the bias, plywood is ideal to use. Also, since the thickness of the two joining edges is always the same with this new method, no separation will occur. With the present invention, the complete perimeter of the raised portion of the panel is an integral part of the rise itself which is one and the same part as the stile.

With the standard or old method, the bottom rail or stile at the bottom is made in a different size from the side and top stile for no apparent needed reason, except perhaps for strength, but with the new method of the present invention, the bottom rail is made of the same stock as the side rails or stiles to thereby eliminate another costly operation. The method and means of the present invention will thus result in important savings in the manufacture of raised panel moulding or doors and the production of doors for the cabinet and furniture industry, and the like.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom Within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details thereof disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. In a raised-panel construction including vertical stiles and upper and lower horizontal rails joining said stiles, said stiles and rails having a first interengaging means on their inner edge, said stiles and rails including first and second fiat surfaces on one face thereof which are arranged in coplaner relation with respect to each other and which are arranged in spaced-apart relation with respect to each other, at least one filler piece having a second interengaging means in its edge receiving said first interengaging means; each of said stiles and rails being of one piece integral construction and having a recessed portion defining in the stile and rail a shoulder, a curved section, and an inclined surface providing a rise, and said rise being arranged contiguous to, and merging into, the first flat surface; said shoulder, curved section, rise and flat surfaces being an integral part of the stile and rail, said rise being arranged angularly with respect to the adjacent first fiat surface, said shoulder being arranged contiguous to the adjacent second flat surface, and said curved section being arranged at the junction of the rise and the shoulder.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second fiat surfaces of the stile and rails are coplaner with a flat surface of the filler piece.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the surface of the stile and rail opposite to the surface having the recessed portion is flat and is arranged in coplaner relation with a fiat surface of the filler piece.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 878,627 2/1908 Hecker 526l3 1,085,358 1/1914 Rockwell 2035 X 2,263,930 11/1941 Pasquier 2035 2,311,361 2/1943 Beil 52-613 3,100,917 8/1963 Wagner 52455 X HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A RAISED-PANEL CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING VERTICAL STILES AND UPPER AND LOWER HORIZONTAL RAILS JOINING SAID STILES, SAID STILES AND RAILS HAVING A FIRST INTERENGAGING MEANS ON THEIR INNER EDGE, SAID STILES AND RAILS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND FLAT SURFACES ON ONE FACE THEROF WHICH ARE ARRANGED IN COPLANER RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AND WHICH ARE ARRANGED IN SPACED-APART RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, AT LEAST ONE FILLER PIECE HAVING A SECOND INTERENGAGING MEANS IN ITS EDGE RECEIVING SAID FIRST INTERENGAGING MEANS; EACH OF SAID STILES AND RAILS BEING OF ONE PIECE INTEGRAL CONSTRUCTION AND HAVING A RECESSED PORTION DEFINING IN THE STILE AND RAIL A SHOULDER, A CURVED SECTION, AND AN INCLINED SURFACE PROVIDING A RISE, AND SAID RISE BEING ARRANGED CONTIGUOUS TO, AND MERGING INTO, THE FIRST FLAT SURFACE; SAID SHOULDER, DURVECED SECTION, RISE AND FLAT SURFACES BEING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE STILE AND RAIL, SAID RISE BEING ARRANGED ANGULARLY WITH RESPECT TO THE ADJACENT FIRST FLAT SURFACE, SAID SHOULDER BEING ARRANGED CONTIGUOUS TO THE ADJACENT SECOND FLAT SURFACE, AND SAID CURVED SECTION BEING ARRANGED AT THE JUNCTION OF THE RISE AND THE SHOULDER. 